If you wanted to write a biting, exaggerated satire about liberal attitudes, you could hardly find better material than this weekend’s Bafta ceremony. As the unintended outcome of progressive, well-meaning intentions, a white man in the audience shouted the N-word at two highly respected actors of colour—who were then immediately expected to offer forgiveness. It would make a perfect novel for Paul Beatty or a film for Spike Lee. Yet the problem wasn’t just the N-word, but the S-word—sooorrr-eeee. More on that shortly.
Of course, the situation is complicated. It involves competing sensitivities and the now highly charged issues of oversights, snubs, and complicity through silence.
On the night, the audience had been fully informed about the presence of John Davidson in the auditorium. Davidson is the subject of the remarkable film I Swear, whose star Robert Aramayo went on to win the Best Actor prize. Davidson is well-known for having Tourette syndrome, which causes involuntary tics and outbursts, and for his work educating the public about TS. Yet, to his own deep distress and embarrassment, Davidson shouted racial abuse at Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. Ironically, the film itself ends by suggesting that medical advances and changing attitudes mean the condition can now be managed, and that the issue is largely resolved—a happy ending that collided jarringly with reality.
For many in the room, the shouting was unclear, and the awful truth only became widely known once clips from the TV broadcast circulated on social media.
The BBC made a disastrous choice not to bleep the word or discreetly lower the audio, reportedly because producers didn’t catch it. That’s a human error—as opposed to a misguided attempt to avoid erasing TS identity. Yet the BBC was alert enough to cut the phrase “Free Palestine” from director Akinola Davies Jr’s speech. Evidently, the Palestinian issue was deemed inadmissible, while TS was not. (And, of course, there was also the perennial issue of someone being hurtfully left out of the “In Memoriam” reel; this year’s unfortunate omission was the late Béla Tarr.)
As for Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, they were impeccably gracious and good-natured. But they have every right to feel that, just as John Davidson deserves understanding for his TS, they deserve protection from racial abuse. There’s also the thorny question of how much it matters that the speaker didn’t “mean” the words. If someone had a neurological condition that made their arms move suddenly and involuntarily, accidentally hitting someone… it would still hurt. And in the U.S., there might be impatience with the idea that the history of the Black American experience is being glibly equated with Tourette syndrome.
What could have been done? Davidson himself chose to leave the event. Perhaps there could have been an earlier conversation about him attending only part of the ceremony, discussing the risks—and surely no one understood those risks better than Davidson. The BBC should have edited out the offensive language.
But Bafta, the BBC, and everyone involved must stop using the honeyed language of quasi-apology. From the stage, we heard the dreaded phrase: “We apologise if you are offended tonight.” Words like “if” or “anyone who was offended” are dismissive—implying that those upset are ignorant or overreacting. Presenter Alan Cumming was right to call for a “respectful space for everyone.” The price of that cultural peace is eternal vigilance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the unresolved controversy over the use of the Nword at the Baftas designed to cover a range of perspectives and understanding levels
Beginner Definition Questions
1 What actually happened at the Baftas to cause this controversy
At the 2022 Bafta Television Awards actorcomedian Richard Ayoade made a joke while presenting an award He referenced a previous highly controversial incident where another attendee used a racial slur in the building In doing so Ayoade himself quoted the full offensive Nword which shocked the audience and sparked immediate debate
2 What is the Nword and why is it so controversial
The Nword is a racial slur with a deeply painful history rooted in slavery and systemic racism against Black people Its use by nonBlack people is almost universally considered a profound act of disrespect and racism regardless of context because it carries the weight of that violent history
3 Who is Richard Ayoade and why did his use of the word surprise people
Richard Ayoade is a popular British comedian actor and director He is of mixed heritage and is widely seen as an ally The surprise came because many felt that even when condemning racism repeating the full slurespecially in a formal broadcast settingcauses harm and is unnecessary
Core Controversy Why Its Unresolved Questions
4 Wasnt he just quoting someone else to criticize them Why is that a problem
This is the heart of the debate Some argue that quoting a slur for educational or condemnatory purposes is acceptable Others including many antiracism advocates argue that vocalizing the full word retraumatizes Black audiences reinforces its power and that there are effective ways to condemn racism without repeating the slur itself
5 What has Bafta said or done about this
Baftas public response has been seen by many as slow and insufficient They issued a brief statement acknowledging the offense caused and stating the incident was unacceptable but they did not name Ayoade announce any specific consequences or detail clear new policies for future events This lack of decisive action is a key reason the issue feels unresolved
